Since his first Pro Motocross race in 1996 (he won the AMA Motocross Rookie of the Year Award that year), Ricky Carmichael has bulldozed the competition and the record books with an incredible string of victories. Nine Outdoor titles, Five Supercross titles, and two perfect seasons later, Carmichael accepted his fourth consecutive “AMA Pro Racing SPEED Channel Athlete of the Year Award” last Sunday night at the annual AMA Pro Racing Awards Banquet in Las Vegas.
Just like he has done so many times in his racing career, Carmichael beat out some stiff competition to win the Athlete of the Year Award. Carmichael’s most notable challengers were two other riders who have dominated their respective series, though not to the extent Carmichael has controlled AMA Motocross: Chris Carr, who won his seventh AMA Flat Track Championship in 2005 (his 5th consecutive championship), and Mat Mladin, another record-breaking champ with six AMA Superbike titles under his belt.
Other awards handed out by AMA Pro Racing included Sportsman of the Year, presented to Chris Carr, and the Award of Mechanical Excellence, which went to Pro Circuit’s Mitch Payton. Juss Laansoo, a talented Motocross racer from Estonia, won the Motocross/Supercross Rookie of the Year Award – Laansoo’s impressive first season included a fifth-place finish in the 250cc class at Hangtown.
